Quinoa granola bars

Quinoa Granola Bars

I think my dog Kona is missing our little pal, Pumpkin, as much as I am. Pumpkin died last week from Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FEV), kind of a feline version of AIDS. The veterinarian isn't sure how he got it but no matter, it's really bad stuff.

There is no vaccine for it. Pretty much, all you can do is make sure your cat is screened for it before adoption. Pumpkin was a feral cat that we adopted from a friend who knew nothing about the disease and neither did we. Even our vet never mentioned it until Pumpkin got sick.

Kona and I are spending more time together. We just got back from an hour-long walk with lots of stops for Kona to dip in the irrigation canal. Now, it's time to snack on one of the Quinoa Granola Bars I recently made. Kona will have a few of her Hill's dental kibbles.

Quinoa Granola Bars
Ingredients:

1. Nonstick cooking spray
2. 1 1/2 cups quinoa flakes
3. 1 1/4 cups cooked quinoa grain, toasted
4. 2 T. cacao nibs
5. 1/4 cup yacon powder
6. 1/2 cup yacon syrup
7. 1/3 cup olive oil

Directions:

1. Spray an 8-X-8-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place 1 1/2 cups quinoa flakes in a large bowl.
3. Spread 1 1/4 cups cooked quinoa grains on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven at 350 degrees for approximately 15 minutes.
4. Once cooled, add the toasted quinoa to the large bowl with the quinoa flakes. Stir in the cacao nibs. Set aside.
5. In a medium saucepan, mix together the yacon powder, yacon syrup and olive oil. Place over medium high heat and bring to a gentle boil. Cook, stirring for 1 minute.
6. Remove from heat and add to the quinoa flakes and grains. Stir until all the grains and nibs are coated and combined.
7. Evenly pour the quinoa mixture into the prepared baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 15 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature. Cut into bars.
8. Store in an airtight container and wrap individual bars and freeze for future snacking.